Deadly Bloodline Part 2
by RienMuse
Summary: James fell in love with the wrong woman, Queen Sophie-Anne had drunk the wrong True Blood, Sookie felt that she had the wrong companies, the werewolves murderers were still running free. Slowly Sookie thought she lived in the wrong world, or did she? AU.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This Second Part of Deadly Bloodline is the Second Story of my planned Trilogy. Please, read "Dead and Taken" (The First Story) before you read "Deadly Bloodline Part 1" to avoid any confusion and or misunderstanding. Thank you very much for the attention, critics and reading...I am really touched.**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Charlaine Harris, I have no rights or whatsoever with them. I only take the liberty to play with them. I am really down and out, Ms. Harris, so please don't sue me.  
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**'Mr. Harmon' belongs to Mr. Harmon and Me. James and Victoria are my children, therefore they belong to me.**

**Thanks to BonTempsBeau who betaed this story.**

**This chapter and probably many chapters in the future is dedicated to the original Mr. Harmon.**

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Chapter Fifty-One

**Prologue  
**

Nobody knows his real name.

Everybody who works for him calls him Mr. Harmon. He is a man in his forties, around 6 feet tall with the build of a person who spends a lot of time in gym. His hair is dark brown and his eyes are blue green. He is one of those men who are blessed with thick and healthy hair. His people are always amazed to see that in his age, there are still no signs of a receding hairline or strands of gray hair.

He's also not a man of many words. He doesn't talk much and when he does, his voice is very low. Usually, he will only sit on his leather chair, put his hands together and stare at his visitors. He will stare straight and long – for some people; it's too long and that makes them nervous. 'There's something not normal about his eyes' some say. 'I would try to avoid his eyes, if I were you. I feel like I am staring into an abyss every time I look him in the eyes and. Honestly, I don't want to know what lives inside them.'

Mr. Harmon knows that. He knows that the people are afraid of him, and it seems he enjoys that they are – at least, that was what the people say.

The blue sky was touched by a soft hint of red. From his window, it looked like unseen hands were playing with red satin veils, creating soft curves and layers. He stood there, grabbing the edge of the curtain. His famous blue green eyes were narrowed and fixed on a point somewhere in the sky. It was a habit, which every figure who was in his office knew: Mr. Harmon was not pleased. He was thinking; and he wasn't pleased.

The sun had set two hours ago, but the sky was still bright. It was one of those late summer days, which drove many vampires crazy. The sun wasn't there anymore, but the heat was still strong enough to harm them. If they weren't careful enough and thought that they could go out without any problem, they would be surprised to find themselves having sun burn, just like when the humans stay too long under the sun. Like humans, it was painful for them. They would feel ravenous, but at the same time, they would be too weak to hunt

The big office on the 30th floor looked cold. Its walls were painted soft grey with square wall panels. In fact, all furniture in the room looked square and simple. The tables, the chairs and the cabinets in the corner – they all had the same style square and simple. No curves, no flower shapes, no other color than light brown. On his table, there were a telephone and a square wooden box, in which his secretary put his mails.

Sitting on a sofa in front of the table was a man, with a huge scar across his face. His skin was brown and rough from weather and sunlight. He wore a red plaid shirt and jeans. The shirt, with sleeves rolled above the elbow, didn't hide the scars on his arms.

A few footsteps away from him was a pale man wearing a black leather jacket, black shirt and trousers. His hair was curly and oily. It was so oily that when the light touched its surface, it looked as if he was under a spotlight. In his hand was a bottle, which he held loosely.

The woman, who was standing beside the door, crossed her hands across her chest. Her hair was rolled and huge sunglasses covered her eyes.

"I tried to catch the boy, Mr. Harmon," he said. His voice was deep and broken. "But I was attacked. Those sons of bitches attacked me without any reason. If I ever get my hands on them…"

Mr. Harmon lifted his hand off the curtain and that man fell silent.

"Even before you were attacked, you already had a face that only your mother can love, so shut the fuck up, George." The pale man put the bottle on the table. The label on the bottle read: TruBlood.

The man, who was called George, growled. His face, which was full of scars, looked sinister. He was never a ladies man, but he wasn't also that ugly. Those bastards from Beaumont would pay for what they had done to him. Since the attack that happened a couple of weeks ago, he had to run around with big scars across his face. He had to make up a dramatic story about being attacked by some coyotes in Texas during hunting season. He could only hope the people whom he hung around with would believe him, but some didn't. And those bastards who didn't believe him were now in the same room with him.

"How many times do I have to say that you shall not drink that, Mr. Mott?" Mr. Harmon said, without turning around. "It can damage your brain."

"To do that, Mr. Harmon," said George. "He has to have a brain to start with."

Mott grinned. "What shall happen to me? Dead? I am dead already anyway."

"Useless," said George. "It's simply useless to reason with you, Mott."

"Is it?" he pulled something out of his jacket. It was a big brown envelope, which was wrinkled all over its surface. "At least, I can do my job." He threw the map on the table. "He's in Shreveport, all right. He's here under the protection of the mighty Long Tooth Clan," there was a mockery in his voice that couldn't be missed. "Isn't he, Victoria?"

The woman, who was quiet all along, remained silent.

"Oh, don't tell me that you can't do your job, either," Mott sneered. Then, he chuckled. "You fucked his brains out, didn't you?"

"That's not the way to speak to a lady, Mott."

"A lady?" within a blink of an eye, Mott was already standing in front of the woman. "I still remember when she sold her piece of meat on the street to get fed."

"You've mistaken me with your mother."

"I hope you didn't make any silly mistakes that would jeopardize the whole operation, Ms. Luna. There are many lives at stake here, including your own," Mr. Harmon looked at the woman, "especially, by having a sexual intercourse with a minor."

"I don't sleep with him, and I don't intend to." Victoria Luna looked straight into Mr. Harmon's eyes, only for a moment, and then she turned her face away.

"Why? Can't handle a virgin?"

The woman's eyes turned orange; Mott bared his fangs. "I will deliver him when the time is right," Luna said. Her face was cold, when she said, "He will come to you willingly, when I have finished with him."

Mott moved away. He snorted. "Virgin and untouched, I hope."

"What is it with you?" George asked. "Never have a virgin in your life?"

"They taste better. If you see the fear in their eyes when they look at you, the sweetness that runs in their blood, and that warm wet breath touches your face, you will know what I mean."

George cleared his throat. "You're a sick bastard."

"Well," Mott touched his oily hair. "I guess I am."

"Then, you will not like what you're going to hear, Mr. Mott," Mr. Harmon returned to his chair. "Haru Kimura is in Louisiana."

"What did you just say?" Mott's eyes were wide open.

"Haru Kimura is in Louisiana, in Bon Temps, to be exact."

"Who the fuck is Haru Kimura?" asked Luna.

"Haru Kimura, Ms. Luna, is the one who is responsible for _somebody_ like Mr. Mott running around freely," Mr. Harmon emphasized the word 'somebody' with a clear voice that demonstrated he felt disgusted by it. "He is the creator of True Blood. I believe he is with the Northman family now, protected and guarded by the Grey Hound. I want you to return to Bon Temps and get as close as possible with Haru Kimura and finds out why he came to Bon Temps. Get as much information as you can. I don't care if you have to sleep with Northman, Hervaux, the whole members of Grey Hound or even the boy to get it; I don't care, just, get it done."

The woman's face was bright red as she heard that.

"And you, George, fix your face. I need you to be in Bon Temps without being recognized."

"I can't do it in a day, Mr. Harmon."

"Take vampire blood,"

George swallowed his own spit. He hated vampire blood. He had taken it once, and ended up in a dirty empty alley without knowing what had happened to him. "Now, Mr. Harmon, I…," he stopped as their eyes met. "Yes, Mr. Harmon."

"How long has he been in Shreveport?" asked Mott. "The League doesn't know anything about it," he looked at Mr. Harmon. "If they do…,"

The League was the American Vampires League. For vampires, it was only the League.

"They won't tell," said Mr. Harmon. "They don't want to have chaos."

"Chaos? You don't understand Mr. Harmon. He's a god! Every one of us will try to make contact with him, try to show our gratitude, protect him, raise a shrine…."

"Yeah, yeah," interrupted George. "Don't get too excited, Mott. The last time you got too excited, we had to clean up the whole fucking building."

Mott jumped on him. His fangs were bared. He would've bored his fangs into George's throat, if the man hadn't had a silver knife in his hand. "Try, Mott. Just try."

"I made a mistake, once, and I paid for my mistake already," Mott hissed. "You don't have to repeat it over and over again. I could've mistaken you for being provocative and you know I don't like being provoked. The last time somebody provoked me, even the forensic people couldn't identify which part went with which other part. You surely don't want your mother to bury your finger nails only."

"Gentlemen!"

Both of them broke apart. Mott fixed his leather jacket; George got up from his seat. In his hand, the silver knife was gleaming.

"I'd really appreciate if you didn't use that knife on everybody, George," said Mr. Harmon. "You already killed werewolves with that knife; any other action, involving that knife will lead them straight to you. You certainly don't think that the company has your name on the payroll, do you?"

"No, Sir."

"Good, at least we understand each other," said Mr. Harmon.

"But you certainly don't think that I will keep my mouth shut about the real owner of this knife, do you, Sir?"

"No, George, I don't think so."

"Then, we do understand each other…Sir."

The room was quiet. The tension that was already in the air was getting heavier. Luna still looked calm, but everybody could see that her eyes were orange the whole time. Mott was now leaning against the wall, watching the giant banner with the name of the company flapping in the wind. George, with knife in hand, watched Mr. Harmon sit in his chair and strumming his fingers on the desk.

"When do you want me to go, Sir?" finally Luna asked.

"The sooner, the better," Mr. Harmon stopped tapping the table. "I want this matter to be settled before the National Assembly takes place." He turned to Mott. "And I want you to stay away from Haru Kimura, Mott."

"Certainly, you do, Sir." Mott smirked. "The question is if I am willing to do it."

"Some people won't be happy if you ruin their plans, Mott." A faint smile was on his face. "You should really be careful this time. They might not give you another chance."

Mott sneered. "Like I said, Mr. Harmon. What could happen to me? I am dead already."

Xxxxx

Outside the building, Luna opened her mobile phone. She dialed a number, and then said, "James? It's me, Vicky…"

The voice on the other line was almost yelling. "What do you want?"

"I want to see you, James."

"You left me! After you'd promised that you would stay by me, you left me!" His voice was lower now, but Vicky could tell he was near tears. "How could you do that to me?"

"I am sorry, James."

There was silence on the other line.

Luna waited.

After a while, "Where are you?"

"In Baton Rouge."

"When will you come to Bon Temps? You will come back to Bon Temps, right?"

"Do you want me to?"

Again, there was silence.

Then, "I miss you, Victoria…"

A smile was on Luna's face. "I miss you too, James." She took out her car key and opened the door. "I'll come to you tonight. Leave your window open. You are at home, aren't you?"

"No, I am at the Haven."

"That would be difficult, Baby…"

"I'll go home tomorrow." Then, a short pause, "You really want to come?"

"Yes, James."

"Victoria…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you leave? Mom isn't angry about us anymore. She seems to like you, too."

"I had to leave, James. I don't want to hurt you more than I already did."

"You hurt me more when you left me like that!" the voice on the other line yelled again. Luna had to lift her mobile phone off her ears this time. "There is another man, isn't there?" His voice sounded enraged when he spat out the word 'man'.

"No, James. There is no other man."

"I love you, Victoria. If you don't love me, just say so."

Luna bit her lips. If there were something that she couldn't stand from that boy, it would be his way of saying things the way they were. "It's not that easy, James."

"So, you don't love me." Again, there was pain in his voice.

"I don't want to lie, James; but I want to be with you, to get to know you better, wait for you until you're old enough…"

"You'll do that?"

"Yes, James," she sighed. "I will."

"I'll leave the window open. I love you, Victoria."

Luna closed her mobile phone.

"You're a fucking bitch, Luna. You know that?"

Luna turned around and saw George standing some steps behind her. His cigarette was dangling in his mouth. "I can be a bitch, you're right."

George snorted. "Just don't fuck him, will you? You don't want to deal with Mott later…," he sneered. "But if you do and if you plan to tell Mott; just let me know. I want to be there." Then, he laughed mockingly.

Luna got in her car and slammed the door. She wanted to fuck James; that was for sure. However, she didn't want to get closer to him than absolutely necessary. That boy had an aura, _something_ that she couldn't explain, that drew her near and she couldn't resist him. She didn't want to believe in that mumbo jumbo about him being the son of one of the oldest wolves, let alone being the son of a vampire. There had to be something else, beside that bullshit; something that could draw the interests of people like Mr. Harmon. She had to find out what it was, and then used it for a higher bargain.

She looked at a photo that came out of the envelope. It was James. He looked sad…, no, he looked angry, yes, he looked angry and his eyes were swollen from crying. She sighed. He's so young and yet he already had a body to die for.

Maybe later, two or three years later, when this was over and James would be old enough to be her….Fuck! She hit her steering wheel. He's just another job, like any other. She'd better stop thinking about any future with him. Grab the money, and get the hell out of that shit hole called Shreveport.

She started the car and left the parking lot in a hurry.

Xxxxx

In his office, Mr. Harmon didn't lift his head when he heard someone enter his office. "Go back to Shreveport, and make sure everything goes according to the plan."

"You don't trust them?"

"I don't trust anybody. Not even you, Debbie."

Debbie Pelt sat down on the sofa. She hated the sofa with a passion. The height differences between the sofa and the desk was significant enough that people, who sat on it, couldn't help but have a feeling that they were facing a king. "We will get married soon; how can you spend the rest of your life with somebody you don't trust?"

"I'll live. Besides, you're a good fuck."

Debbie smirked.

"You want something from me, I want something from you. I think it's the best marriage arrangement I can think of."

"You're a son of a bitch; you know that, don't you, _Mr. Harmon._"

"So I heard." He leaned back in his chair.

"I can't wait for this to get over."

Mr. Harmon put his hands together. "Yes, you can. You've been waiting for fifteen years; you can wait a little bit longer."

Debbie kicked off her shoes and laid herself down on the sofa. Slowly she unbuttoned her blouse. "I want something for the road," Red hair slowly appeared on her arms. "You want me to give you a good report; you have to make sure that I feel good when I leave this fucking office."

Mr. Harmon put his fingers on his lips; his eyes flickered when he saw Debbie giving him a sign to come. As he rose from his seat, a faint smile was on his face.

xxxxx


	2. The Unexpected

**Author's Note: **Thanks to BonTempsBeau for everything.

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Fifty-Two

**The Unexpected**

They said waiting is a punishment of time, since we all are not able to appreciate time until it is all too late.

Or at least, that's what Sookie believed. She didn't know how long she had tossed and turned, laying on her right side one minute then lying flat on her back the next minute. Before she had settled into sleep in the flat position, she was already on her right side. She also couldn't count how many times she had gotten up from bed to go to the window only to return again to the bed.

It was almost dawn already, and Eric hadn't returned yet. She imagined all sorts of crazy scenarios of what might have happened to him; Eric could be fighting with André or the King. Or the men in silver suits managed to shoot him with a silver arrow and poisoned him, just like what they had done to Bill. Or perhaps, Eric managed to persuade the King with his charms and diplomacy. Or maybe the Queen, being out of her mind, ordered the Bret brothers to attack and torture him.

Whatever had happened; she could only bite her fingernails and desperately pray that somebody, somehow would tell her the news, any news.

She hated being hopeless. Had she been in the same situation, fifteen years ago, she would've run to the garage, taken the car and gone to wherever Eric had gone. Eric would've been angry with her, said rough words, but in the end they would've had sex and Eric would've forgiven her for her stubbornness.

It is, however, different now. She is no longer a twenty-six year old girl who lives only for herself. She has a son now. She has a whole 6 feet of responsibility to care for now.

Sookie sighed. As much as she loved Eric and worried about him, she couldn't simply leave the house and run headlong for him. James needed her. She had to be strong.

Slowly she sat down on the edge of the bed. She felt something hard underneath her. She lifted her ass to see what it was. Hmm, it was the hilt of their marriage dagger. She took it out of its sheath. Its red eye glimmered under the lamps. This little thing bonded her and Eric forever, the way it had done the same to Aude and Eric. This little thing would decide whether she would survive the night or not. If something happened to Eric, it would happen to her too. If Eric died, she would die too.

God, if only she knew what he was doing at this moment!

The clock struck 3 times.

Three o'clock in the morning. Eric had left for more than 5 hours, and there'd been no call, no message. She could hear the werewolves moving around the house, sometimes they walked quietly, sometimes they howled. Perhaps they wanted to let her know that they were around. It wasn't necessary; she could hear their troubled thoughts. They were as nervous as she was.

Finally, she couldn't wait any longer. She had to know what happened to Eric. She had to go down and send one of the werewolves to Fangtasia. She had to know.

She walked to the door, when suddenly;, she felt a strong wind come into the room.

Eric had arrived with Pam in his arms, covered in blood.

"What happened?"

"I have no time to explain now, Sook. I need blood for Pam."

"Take mine,"

"No, you gave your blood already this evening. It's not good for you to give blood twice in a day." Eric sniffed. "Alcide, I need Alcide."

"I'd rather die than drink that son of a bitch's blood," Pam's voice was weak, but Sookie could hear the anger in it.

"Don't be a fool, Pam." Eric laid her on the bed. "I order you to."

Pam chuckled, but she said, "Yes, my maker, but I'll never forgive you for this."

"I can live with that." Then, Eric left them and returned some moment later with Alcide in his arms. The werewolf didn't look so happy when he saw Pam. His face was getting sourer when he realized what he had to do. "I have to give her my blood?" he muttered. "Her?"

"Trust me, Werewolf, it isn't my dying wish to have a werewolf blood running in my veins," Pam sneered. "I'd rather take a dying old man's blood instead."

"After this, you sleep with me." Eric stroked her hair fondly.

"You remember the last time we slept together in a coffin, Eric?" Pam smiled. "It was the best sex with a man I've ever had …" then, she laughed. "But it doesn't say much; since there are only two men that I've ever slept with…I love you, Eric…."

"I love you too, Pam," Eric reached out his hand to Alcide. "I owe you one, Alcide."

Alcide didn't look happy at all. His eyes turned yellow as Eric's fangs bored into his hand and Sookie heard him snarling as Pam started sucking his blood.

Eric wiped off the blood around his mouth.

"What happened?" Sookie asked again.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, Sookie. Now, I have to care for Pam. If she drinks too much of Alcide's blood, she can kill him."

Alcide fell on the bed as soon as Eric stopped Pam drinking his blood. His face was pale and he was trembling. Pam fell into Eric's arms. "Water….I need water…," Alcide gasped.

Sookie ran from the bedroom and brought back a glass of water. She gave it to Alcide, who took the glass and drank the water vigorously.

Eric lifted Pam's body and said, "I'll go to ground now. Good night, Sookie." Then, within a blink of an eye, he left the room.

Xxxxx

It was late in the afternoon when Lafayette arrived at Northman Mansion.

Sookie's heart missed a beat when she saw the figure that was walking beside him. For a short moment, there was a crazy wish all over her again, that it hadn't been a dream or a delusion.

But it was.

James was back in blond. From a distance, he could be mistaken for Eric.

She wasn't the only one who had thought the same thing. The Grey Hounders jumped on their feet as they saw him. Haru's jaw dropped and he murmured, "Interesting." Sam clinched his jaw, in his head he said, _I'll be damned. _

"I told you, Jimmy," said Lafayette. "You shocked the shit out of them."

James touched his hair. "Sorry, Mom. I was getting bored with black,"

"That's all right, Hon."

"You look worried, Mom. Is everything okay?"

Sookie nodded. "I didn't get enough sleep," she said. Her eyes ran to the storeroom's door. Eric and Pam were still sleeping. Soon, they would wake up and they could tell her what had happened last night. "Why are you here? I thought we agreed that you would stay with the Hervaux's until the situation improved."

James sat down. "I feel better here. Besides, what could possibly happen? The Hounders are here, they can protect me during the day – if that's what you are afraid of, and I don't have to be worried about the night, do I?"

"No, you don't."

He got up. "I'll be in my room, Mom."

"What's the matter with him?" Sookie asked Lafayette as soon as James was out of sight.

"He got a phone call from a girl last night."

Sookie looked at the stairs. Luna. That bitch, if she continued playing with his feelings, she would grab her by the tail and smashed her against a tree, she swore!

"First love is difficult, Sook. You remember yours?"

She turned to Lafayette. "Yeah, I remember," she smiled. "But I don't trust that woman."

"What woman?"

"James' obsession, Victoria Luna."

"You mean…he and…"

Sookie nodded.

"That's messed up, you're right."

"I don't care about their age differences…anymore, but something is not right about that woman. I just can't put my fingers on it…I don't know. One minute, she cared a lot about James, the next minute she was gone. I tried, really, Laffy, to get rid of the feeling, but it's always there."

"I heard that she had saved y'all."

"Yes, and I will never forget that."

"Love is a bitch."

Suddenly Sookie realized that Lafayette had a problem of his own. "Joseph called you yet?"

Lafayette shook his head. "I wish he had the balls to call me and to tell me straight to my face what went wrong between him and me. It's been fifteen years, Sook, it's like forever!"

"I know."

"He can't just leave me cold like this. Okay, his parents needed somebody to carry on their family line; I understand that. Hello, didn't they ever hear about surrogate mothers? He doesn't have to marry the woman; he can just give his fucking seed away and let them shovel those little bastards somewhere!" Lafayette raised his head. "Sorry, Hon. It has to get out. I have to let the steam out of my head; otherwise I would go fucking nuts."

Sookie grabbed his hands. "You don't have to apologize, Laffy. He is the one who should apologize, not you."

Lafayette nodded. "If he's man enough to call…"

Sookie wished she could find some nice words, something comforting to say to him, but she knew Lafayette didn't need them. He needed Joseph to return or at least to give him a sign that all those years of their being together meant something.

She had been been through something similar during those years, believing that Eric had died - years made up of empty days and loneliness. The only thing that had helped her to go through this had been James and his love for her.

She looked at the stairs again. She would not fail him. James was in a difficult phase; he was no longer a boy, but not yet a man. He would need her now more than ever. Whatever happened between him and Luna, she would be there; just as he had been there when she had been all alone.

Xxxxx

Eric and Pam came out of the vault as soon as darkness overtook the sky. Both of them looked shriveled. Their skin was dull and wrinkled. The dark red rings around the eyes reappeared, this time it was more pronounced than before. It seemed Alcide's blood had worked only temporarily.

Without saying a word, both of them left the house and returned around an hour later, in a much better condition. Around their mouths were traces of blood.

Eric went upstairs, followed by Sookie. Pam said to Lafayette something like having a bath and fresh clothes.

"What happened?" Sookie couldn't wait any longer.

Eric took off his clothes, which were covered with blood, and threw them on the bathroom floor. "Why is James here?"

"He feels much better here," said Sookie. "I think it's also because Luna called him. They possibly agreed to see each other again."

Eric took off his boxers. "I need to take a shower," he said and reached out his hand.

"I already had a shower," Sookie said, but she took his hand nevertheless.

She helped him remove the bloodstains in his hair and on his skin. Eric spread his arms and let her rub the sponge all over his body. He opened his mouth as the water fell on his face, washing away the blood on it. He closed his eyes and let his long eyelashes get wet. The water stayed for a while on them and then fell on his cheeks. Sookie rubbed his chest and underarms softly and as she reached his shoulder, he opened his eyes. With one lift, she was on his hip, wrapping her legs around it. The water hit their heads, then fell on the ground, carried away the red color of blood, circling around a pair of pale feet, before finally it ran down the drain.

Sookie held his neck as tight as she could while Eric pushed her slowly against the glass wall of the shower. His hands grabbed her ass strongly before he adjusted his height so that they were on the same level. His lips kissed hers greedily as he pushed the door open and carried her back to the bed.

They were soaking wet as they hit the bed, but they hadn't bothered to take a towel. They didn't even notice as the bedroom door was softly closed by a pale hand. They were each desperately touching and kissing the other as if they wanted to unload a burden that had been on their shoulders too long.

Sookie let out a loud and long cry as she felt Eric exploding inside her. Her fingers were buried deep into his shoulder and her legs, which had been wrapping around his legs, were opened like flower petals and fell to the bed.

After a while, Eric slid his body down, and took her into his arms. "You don't know how afraid I was of losing you, Lover," he whispered in her ears.

Sookie held him tight. "I hope that would be the last time that you held me by a thread like that. I swear, Eric, if you do that again…"

Eric interrupted her by kissing her. "I won't."

"What happened, Eric? Why were you and Pam covered in blood?"

"Jennifer Carter tried to take the Queen by force back to the Palace. King's orders, she said. But Pam didn't let her."

"Was it the King's orders? Didn't Pam then commit treason, to disobey the King's orders like that?"

"Yes, and they tried to take Pam too. Lucky for her, I came just in time."

Xxxxx

"It wasn't easy for me to leave you like that" Eric started the story. "I felt like I had made such a terrible decision by leaving you at a time when you needed me the most. I could feel the terror in your blood. 'Lover, what had I done to you?' I thought. 'I have caused you so much pain through the years, and there is nothing more I want to do than make you forget all that suffering, even if just for a night.'

"But Pam needed me. She had called me. She rarely called me and only did so when there was a matter she couldn't handle. I had raised a brave and independent child, too independent in fact. Sometimes her actions crossed the border between independence and insubordination and I am proud of her.

"A cold wind brought me to the Leclreq Wellness Center. I don't like this kind of cold wind. It can only mean one thing: it was past the midnight hour and the time after midnight is like the rushing wind in September. It moves fast, too fast even for me; and the next thing we know, the sun is showing her damn face on the East.

"A human moved away, tried to escape from my path as I walked through the hall.

"'Mr. Northman,' one of the security personnel stopped me. 'Sir…everything is…' he stopped speaking as his eyes met mine.

"'Leave,' I said.

"'Yes, Sir.' He moved aside.

"Something had happened. I could tell from the angst that shone brightly from the eyes of the humans in this building. Brakk! I pushed open the door that led to the basement. It flew away together with some humans who stood behind it. I heard them growling from pain, but I didn't care. The silver-suit people again.

"'Northman,' a sneering voice welcomed me as I walked down the stairs.

"'Carter,'

"In front of the door of Her Majesty's room were Carter, André, Addison and some vampires I didn't know. Pam was standing between Weybert and Siegbert. All their fangs were out and their claws bent. They were ready to fight.

"'I come here carrying King's Orders,' Carter said. 'The Queen must be brought back to the Palace.'

"'Without notifying the local authority? What are we now, barbarians?'

"'I never thought that you were such a lawman, Northman,' said Addison.

"'There are things about me that you know nothing of, Addison. I'd prefer to stay that way, if I were you.'

"Addison opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He had lost his words.

"Carter gave me a roll of a parchment. 'Everything you need to know is in here..'

"I didn't take the roll. Taking it meant accepting the order.

"'Please, Eric,' said André. 'What we all wish is Her Majesty's well-being. Your stubbornness will only prolong her suffering.'

"I knew that André meant it. He loved Her Majesty more than anybody else did. I knew how it felt to love a woman – I loved two women; and I would do anything for either of them. But I couldn't let them have Sophie-Anne. If what Haru said about mercury poisoning was correct, then there would be only one solution. I would ask Godric to save her. Godric could only do that if Sophie-Anne stayed here.

"I decided to play with open cards. Sooner or later, they would find out that I knew, why must I play hide and seek?

"'You can't take Her Majesty out of here. She has to stay here. She is poisoned, there's nothing that you can do. Returning her to the palace will mean that you take her back to the source of the poison."

"'What are you talking about, Sheriff?' asked Siegbert. 'We controlled every drink that was served to the Queen…,"

"'Bruderchen,' Weybert interrupted him. Then, he spoke in his old-fashioned German. 'We were never allowed to taste the True Blood that was sent from NIC. It was made for her only.'

"The other vampires, except André and I, were grunting for they didn't understand what Weybert had just said.

"'Non, non, non…,' André shook his head. 'Non! You should always taste the food! How many times do I have to tell you that? She's dying because of you!'

"'André, control yourself!' said Carter. 'How do we know that you are not lying, Sheriff? You aren't exactly model citizen for honesty.'

"'You don't.'

"For a moment, we looked at each other.

"Jennifer Carter was one of those vampires that had been working for the King of Arkansas for as long as I could remember. She was one of the granddaughters of one of Arkansas Generals who led the Confederacy army. I had met her several times, when she had been human. I had tasted her. Her blood had been sweet and sharp, just like her tongue.

"She had known some vampires before me, and she showed no fear at all to any of us. I never knew whether she had wanted to be turned or her boldness had cost her her life.

"To be honest, I had forgotten her. After my arrival from England with Pam at my side, I met her again, as the secretary of King Peter. She never liked Pam. She had even accused her of stealing me away from her. Nobody steals Eric Northman. Either they die or they conquer me. Aude DuBois had conquered me, you – Sookie Stackhouse; conquer me. But none of you will be able to steal me.

"Carter might have been still mad at me, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the risk if what I had said was true and she hadn't believed me.

"'Jenny, don't tell me you believe him…,' Addison said.

"'I don't know, Brian…I'll call His Majesty and ask him.'

"'Jennifer Carter, the Right Hand of the King, can't make a decision because she wants Northman's…" Addison's sentence was interrupted, as Carter grabbed his jacket and smashed him against the wall.

"'Shut up…just shut up,' Carter pointed at him with her index finger. 'I came here to do my job and I won't allow cockroaches like you to undermine my authority.'

"Addison got up. His fangs were bared and he looked at Carter dangerously. He would've attacked her, if he could. But he was younger than Carter and he was also a lower rank than she was. He would be either dead or punished and it seemed, he wasn't willing to take the risk. He stood there and sniffed.

"'Eric, please, as a friend,' André came to me. 'Please, help my Judith.'

"'I am sorry, André. I can't promise you anything.'

"André came closer and suddenly he drew a stake from under his coat and thrust it at me. At that very moment, Pam jumped in front of me and received the blow instead.

"My loyal companion growled and fell to the floor. Black blood sprayed out from her stomach. She held the stake and said with a smile on her face, 'Master…'

"'Pam,' I hissed.

"André looked at me, shocked. 'I have to do what I have to do, Eric.'

"Before I could catch him, he had jumped away and ran to the door.

"Siegbert and Weybert were going to catch him, but suddenly they stopped. Both of them turned toward the door of the Queen's room.

"_'Bitte, verzeiht uns_, Eric,' Weybert said and busted the door wide open.

"There I stood, on one hand, I had to stop the Bert Brothers from going in the room and do whatever they were going to do. On the other hand, I had to stop Carter and her people. Pam also needed my help.

"'Eric…,' Pam's weak voice caught my ears.

"Pam, I had to save Pam. The Queen and the rest I could deal with later. Now my priority was Pam. 'Whatever you are going to do, Siegbert, make sure that she doesn't bleed. If she does, don't touch her blood.'

"'You are serious, aren't you, Eric?' asked Carter. 'Somebody did poison the Queen…and how did you know…' Our eyes met each other. 'So it's true,' she muttered.

"Addison looked at her suspiciously.

"I lifted Pam's body. 'Move,' I said.

"'No, I'm sorry, Eric. You have to come with me to His Majesty,' said Carter. 'You hold important information, Eric.'

"'I don't make it a habit to repeat myself, Carter.'

"Carter lifted her hand and suddenly the men in silver-suits charged me with their guns. The silver needles that hit my skin were like fire crawling on dry leaves. Soon my clothes were wet as my blood started seepingcrawled out of my flesh. Pam yelled in pain and covered her face with her hand.

"I had to leave this building before it was too late. The Queen wasn't my responsibility anymore. I just hoped that the Bert Brothers knew what they were doing."

Xxxxx

"That low-life scum son of a bitch André!" Sookie growled. "And he wants to marry me! I'd rather stay as a hag instead getting married to somebody like him!"

Eric got down from the bed. He was now standing naked in front of her. Sookie ran her eyes on that heavenly body and couldn't find any trace of needle wounds. When she looked up, she found a pair of blue eyes looking back at her, teasing her, as if he wanted to say, 'Na, satisfied?'

"I don't see any wounds," she said, tried to excuse what she had just done. Then something hit her; she was his wife and as a wife or girlfriend, she could do whatever she wanted with her man's body!

"I have fed," he said. "I am old, Sookie. As an old vampire, I can heal faster than a young one."

"Is it true what Pam said last night, that you and she…"

"Yes, but it was long time ago. We were lovers at the beginning. She prefers women over men, but when she was with me, she stopped having women. Then, we took different paths. I let her go because I thought it was about the time that she became independent. When we met again fifty years later; she lived together with a woman. After her woman died, she came to me and worked as my associate. I myself had a woman at that time. I remembered the three of us were going to go to Louisiana, but we couldn't find a good hotel with good cellar. So, my woman slept on the bed, Pam and I slept at the nearest cemetery and found only one coffin, which was clean enough and big enough for me. We decided to sleep together, and one thing led to another." His eyes were darkened as he continued, "I have to find out what happened to the Queen."

"Why did the Bert Brothers do that? I thought they were our allies."

"There is no such a word as 'allies', Sookie. In my world, you eat or be eaten."

"You're different, Bill is different."

Eric smiled. "You're naïve and honest, Sookie; that was the reason Aude chose you." He caressed her face. "If only she had known how stubborn and temperamental you are and how you're able to drive me insane with your sense of love and sex, she might have changed her mind."

"You underestimated your little devil. She knew, trust me on this." Perhaps not the sex part, but somehow Sookie believed that Aude had known that she would've fallen in love with Eric and that Eric would've fallen in love with her. "Don't you think it's about the time that you visit her grave, Eric…say goodbye to her?"

His blue eyes blazed. He went to the closet, opened the door and put the dark green shirt on. "I'll go to Fangtasia," he said, ignoring her question. "Weybert said something about my old company. Perhaps I still could contact some people I know and find out about it."

Sookie swallowed her spit. Eric couldn't do it. He couldn't say goodbye to Aude, perhaps he would never be able to. "Eric, what about our dagger? The vampires know that you're married to me, don't you think it would be easier for them to kill us?"

"Our marriage is protected by the highest vampiric law, Lover. Killing a married couple intentionally would meet with severe punishment. The ones who do it will be put on a stake, chained with silver, and he or she will be drained almost to death, to be fed again, and then the punishment will be repeated in the next night."

Sookie didn't find any word to describe the cruelness that she had just heard. Her skin crawled and cold feeling touched her back.

"You don't need to be worried."

"But what about the others? Werewolves, for example?"

"Alcide loves you; he won't tell anybody." He put his trousers on. "Don't get any crazy ideas about breaking that dagger without talking to me first." His eyes flickered dangerously. Sookie still remembered how he had wailed in agony when Aude broke the dagger.

Sookie forced herself to smile. She got off the bed and tiptoed to kiss him. "Maybe one day, Eric. Maybe one day."

xxxxx

**Footnote**: _Bitte, verzeiht uns = _Please forgive us.

I use 'ihr-form' for The Bert-Brothers and Eric. In German, 'ihr' means 'you plural'; but in the old days, to address the conversation partner noblemen/aristocrat used 'ihr' ; it's kind of majestic plural. Nowadays, people use 'Sie-form', which also means 'you' (plural or singular) if they address their business partner, official occasions, somebody they respect or strangers. For conversation between friends/family to children/youngster, they use 'du' for single and 'ihr' for plural. For you as the third subject, people use 'man'.

A little German language information.


	3. Plans and Numbers

**Author's Note: **The Latitude and Longitude coordinates for Shreveport is 32.5251516, -93.7501789; Since I think 'Bon Temps' is supposed to be located not so far from Shreveport, I simply snatched the coordinates and changed around a bit and made it as Bon Temps. The zip code for Shreveport area started with 71xxx; I took the 71 and made the zip code myself. Sorry if any of you live in the area, no pun intended. I have wild imaginations sometimes.

Thanks to BonTempsBeau who is so unfortunate that he has to face my storm of moodiness. Sorry, Bro. ;)

Chapter fifty-three

**Plans and Numbers  
**

James rubbed his hands nervously. It's ten o'clock some minutes ago and Victoria hadn't arrived yet. He had opened the window wide open, so wide that he could hear the noises that his parents were making down below. They really should've closed their window, or build some kind of sound proof walls so that nobody could hear anything!

He walked to the window and looked down to the ground. Nobody passed by anymore. He believed they had stopped walking for the time being so that they didn't have to hear their parents' noises. Really, it's kind of embarrassing! He hoped nobody would mention anything tomorrow.

Then, everything was quiet.

Thank God! Finally.

He returned to his bed. Duke, who was lying on it, looked at him uninterestedly. He had been following him with his head, but now he seemed to have decided to ignore him.

"Hey," he said. "Don't you want to go out there and play with my brothers?"

Duke put his head between his paws.

"Yeah, I know. They are scary sometimes, especially today. Is it just me, or they're a little bit restless?" James sighed. "Something big is happening…yeah, even you feel that. I wonder what it is." He lay down beside Duke. "But you have to go out if she comes, all right?"

Duke licked his face.

"Hey, be careful!" he said.

That dog crawled and wanted to put his paws on his chest, but James managed to catch them. "Careful, will you? This is not my shirt…"

But Duke didn't want to hear. Soon they rolled together. James cursed and laughed at the same time. Papa's shirt was wrinkled now and had some of Duke's hair on it.

Yes, he had borrowed one of Papa's black shirts, without telling him. No, he didn't steal it; he borrowed it and would return it later. He also _borrowed _some of his cologne. He wanted to look and smell good in front of Victoria.

He didn't believe that Victoria hadn't seen somebody else. She must have, otherwise she wouldn't have left him like that. But he didn't care. If she was with somebody else, he would fight for her, he would steal her from that man, he swore!

But if she had been honest to him, then he had to make her stay this time. He had to make her his girl tonight. It's about the time that he became a man and he had decided that Victoria would be his first woman. He had to do it tonight. No ifs and or buts.

Gently he put Duke aside and touched his pocket. He even had snatched some condoms from Lafayette's drawers. He had done it whilst Lafayette was in the bathroom, cleaning up the dye-set. Hopefully Lafayette wouldn't notice it.

Honestly, he wanted that his first would be without condom. He wanted to have a direct touch with Victoria without rubber in between. But he knew it would be good or safe. He believed that Victoria was a clever woman, who knew how to take care of herself. He didn't believe that she would be careless by having sex without protection.

Suddenly he was nervous. Would he be good enough for Victoria? Yeah, he had seen some magazines, he had even secretly watched porn from internet, but he never did it. To think about it, he had never touched any girl's body before. Yes, he had made out with Catherine Gascony – one of his classmates, but it had been only kissing. Catherine hadn't allowed him to put his hands under her shirt. Then they broke up and he hadn't had any girlfriends, until now.

Oh, God! He got up. Would she notice? Idiot, of course she would notice! Would she laugh at him? He would die if she did that!

Knock, knock!

Somebody knocked on the door. Papa. He could hear his thoughts loud and clear, thinking about the best way to convince the Bert Brothers and to deal with André.

André. He never liked that vampire. There's something in his eyes that frightened him. Something …malicious.

"Moment, Pa," he said, getting down off the bed.

Duke jumped off and hid behind him. That dog was afraid of Papa, but he wasn't the only one. The Grey Hounders were afraid of him too, James didn't know why.

"I'll…" Papa stopped his sentence as he saw him. His eyebrow was lifted.

James touched the shirt and grinned sheepishly. "I was going to tell you, Pa. But you were…ehm…with Mom."

"It looks good on you."

"Really? Thanks." He smiled.

Papa's eyes were at his trousers' pocket and he appreciated him for not saying anything. "I'll be at Fangtasia tonight," he said. "If something happens, anything…call me. If you can't, send Duke to me." His blue eyes were looking at the dog, who's now whimpering.

James touched Duke's head. "Hey, it's okay, Boy. It's Papa."

Still, the dog whimpered.

"Send him; force him if you have to. And whatever you do tonight, don't let your mother know. She has enough problems already."

"Yes, Papa."

Papa turned around. "Take your time, James. There's no such thing as 'too late'." Then, he was gone.

James had to think for some minutes to realize what Papa had probably meant. He must have meant 'having sex'. Papa hadn't said no, but he hadn't exactly said yes either with his last sentence.

Aargh, what should he do?

Suddenly he felt a strong wind entering his room. And the sweet smell of vanilla reached his nose. He turned around, smiling.

But his smile was gone when he saw Duke snarling at Victoria. His dog opened his mouth and showed her his canine teeth. He was even on the position to attack.

"Duke!" he closed the door and yelled at him. "Sit!"

Duke sat, but he was alert. His mouth was still open.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you know who she is?" He looked at Victoria and his heart jumped irregularly seeing her naked in front of him. Her tanned skin, the shape of her breast, her flat stomach, her…

"You look good, James."

Her voice drew his attention away from her legs and he looked up just to find her full lips that he missed so much.

"Can I borrow your t-shirt?"

He unbuttoned his shirt and gave it to her. "You can wear this," He read somewhere that some girls like to wear their boyfriends' shirt because then they would smell the body odors or the cologne and it could turn them on. He wanted it to happen to her. He wanted Victoria to want him the way he wanted her, right now.

Victoria accepted his shirt and put it on, but she didn't button it up. She didn't have a chance because he pulled her close and kissed her. _Idiot,_ he sighed. _I should've been more patient._

But he couldn't. It had been too long since she had left him and he missed her too much.

To his delight, Victoria answered his kisses, she even put her hand on his chest and slowly that hand ran down inside his trousers. "Oh, James…" she sighed as she found his dick hard and ready.

They moved closer to the bed and they fell onto it. James was about to kiss her, who was now lying under him, when he heard Duke snarling. That dog was now standing beside the bed. He was ready to attack again.

"Duke, if you don't want to listen to me, I will tell you to jump out of the window; and I don't care if you hurt yourself or not! Now, sit and be quiet!"

The dog whimpered and avoided his gaze. James didn't know that at the moment he was giving his order, his eyes were yellowish and glinting. He didn't even notice that Victoria was trembling as she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him impatiently

Then, suddenly…loud and clear, he heard a voice.

_Luna, you're a fucking bitch! _

He broke their kisses and looked around. There was nobody else there, except them. Vampire. There's a vampire out there, and he's watching them.

He looked at Victoria. She looked back at him with open mouth. "What…?"

He looked at Duke, who was sitting on his back feet. He realized he had just treated him unfairly. He stepped down.

"James?"

James touched Duke's head. "I am sorry, Duke."

Duke licked his hand.

"What is wrong?"

"There's a vampire out there," he opened his cupboard and took two t-shirts out. He threw one of them at Victoria. "We have to tell the others; Papa isn't at home."

"I can wear your shirt, I just need trousers."

"That's Papa's."

"Oh," Victoria took off the shirt and put on the t-shirt.

James gave her his jeans. He sighed as he saw Victoria covering her ass with his jeans. He would never wash those jeans, he swore! Just like the t-shirt, which she had worn when she was in his room for the first time. He would even preserve it; put it in some kind of vacuum chamber or something so they would stay just as they are forever!

"Do you have shoes for me?"

Her voice pulled him back to reality. "No, I don't think so. Maybe Mom does." He opened the door. "Duke, tell my brothers we have company."

Duke jumped to his paws and left the room, running.

James scratched his head. Aargh! Somebody had to pay for this interruption! Suddenly, he felt hungry. Hungry and horny.

xxxxx

Sookie couldn't believe her eyes when she saw who was walking behind James. Not only that, she also wore James' t-shirt and jean; and her shoes! She swore, one of these days, if they continued doing it, she would put bars in James' window!

"I am sorry, Sookie," said Luna when they were alone in the study. "I didn't want to drive to Bon Temps Woods."

"Let me make something clear, Ms. Luna," she pressed in anger. "This house has doors. It would be very appreciated if you could take the normal route like any other human being! And by the way, if you want to be respected by the others, perhaps you start by respecting yourself. No good girl would climb into a window of a boy in the middle of the night like this."

Those eyes were orange. Sookie didn't care. If Luna had even a slightest idea to transform and touch her, she wouldn't hesitate to take her gun and blow her brains out.

"If you want my blessing to be with my son; then for fuck's sake, start showing me that you are worth my blessing!"

"As I said, Soo…,"

"I don't want to hear any excuses. Take it or get the fuck out of here!"

_Oh, shit! Mom is really angry this time…_

"And you, young man!" said Sookie as she heard James' thought. "If you don't start behaving, I will not hesitate to look deep inside your head and we will see how you will get away from me and don't even think about asking your father, because I will throw him out of this house if he even dares to open his mouth in this matter!"

_Oh, shit!_

Sookie would love to drag that bitch out of the house and she was about to do it when a knock on the door pulled her attention to something else. Colin came in, beside him was Duke. The dog snarled as soon as he saw Luna. Sookie sniffed. At least, there's _somebody _else who wasn't glad to see Luna!

Colin bowed and whispered in her ears. "There's a vampire among the trees out there."

Sookie looked at James. "You knew about this? You wouldn't send Duke out if …."

James cleared his throat. "Yeah."

Whoever the vampire was, Sookie thanked him for interrupting whatever James and Luna were doing.

_He knew Victoria, _said James in his head. He bowed his head a little bit, but his eyes were at her. _She may not leave the house, Mom. I have to know what she's up to._

Oh, really? Sookie couldn't believe what she had just heard. Did James really mean it or had he tried to find a way to keep that bitch inside her house?

"Let him stay outside," finally Sookie said. "He can't enter the house. We just have to make sure Haru stays inside too. I don't want anybody to know that he's here."

"It looks like, we're too late, Sookie. He must have come for Haru."

"I think you're right, Colin," said Luna. "If he is who I think he is, then he comes for Haru. He worships Haru. For him, Haru is a god."

"You know him?"

"We met several times, yes." Luna looked at James. "Business, I am a kind of liaison officer between police officials and the vampire world. He – Franklin Mott is also a liaison person; he's from the AVL - American Vampires League. So, we knew each other, yes. I have to warn you, he's a psycho. He won't hesitate to kill anybody whom he thinks prevents him from getting what he wants."

But Franklin Mott had gone. Doc and Cooper had searched the area, they couldn't find him. Haru's face looked troubled when he found out about it.

"I have brought problems into your house, Sookie-san. I apologize."

"It's not your fault, Kimura."

"That vampire…he really thinks I am a god?"

"As far as I know," said Luna. "I believe he would raise a shrine – if he hasn't already done it. I don't think that he will hurt you, Mr. Haru, but I don.t recommend him to be your friend either."

"Thank you for the warning, Officer Luna."

"He doesn't know why you came, does he? I mean, you don't tell anybody that you're here in USA?"

"No, I don't think so."

Luna looked relief. "That's good because honestly, I am afraid you've already attracted more attention than you should. I don't want to make you worry or something, but I believe there are many people – vampire or human; who would like to know why you're here."

Haru's little eyes were getting smaller. "Then I have to talk to Eric-san. Probably it isn't very wise to have me here and to put his family in danger."

"Nonsense," said Sookie. "Our house is the safest place for the moment. Nobody can enter the grounds without my permission and trust me, Kimura. No vampire – not even Eric's maker himself can make me do what he wants." She looked at James. "And James, if he's willing to use his head, I believe he manages to take care himself."

James smiled. _Thanks, Mom._

That night, Sookie slept restlessly. When Eric came home, she decided to get off the bed and make herself a big mug of coffee. Eric looked tired and sleepy. Morning was near and he couldn't hold himself straight anymore. Mumbling he said that he didn't know where the Berts had taken the Queen.

Sookie kissed him goodnight and her heart was heavy as she watched him dragging himself to the vault. Eric had never looked beaten up like tonight. The Queen's missing must have hit him heavily.

She sighed. She had to find a way to enter the LeClreq facility. There had to be somebody there who knew or had seen where the brothers had taken the Queen. They would need a vehicle to take her somewhere…that's it. The Queen's property. She had access to her property. She could take a look in her file and find out about her property. The Queen had to be in one of them!

Yes. That's it. She had to start thinking like a lawyer. If she could find a hole, then she had to interpret the circumstances in a way so that she could see or the people could see the hole! It wouldn't be easy, but heh, she never believed it would be either.

Xxxxx

It made Sookie uncomfortable to see Luna sitting at the table and having breakfast with them. James seemed to take everything a little bit easier. He sat between her and Luna and tried his best to create a kind of 'cease fire' between them. He made her coffee, cut the bread for her and was ready to do anything even before she asked. Slowly, her heart warmed. Perhaps, perhaps she should give Luna a chance again. For James' sake.

Luna herself didn't say much, except that her eyes were on James and from time to time at Haru. She seemed to be interested in the man, but again, who wasn't? The werewolves sat on the left and right of the man. The idea that he could create a new kind of blood only for the werewolves so that they could control the changing, especially in the full moon time was intriguing them. Yes, some of them agreed and some not, but still, it was intriguing news for them.

Luna left the mansion after breakfast. Sookie watched James and her going upstairs with clenched hands. She wanted to stop James, but she knew she had to trust him to do the right thing. And she felt relief when James went down soon afterward. He kissed her cheeks.

"She will return later, Mom," he said. "She only goes home to get some clothes."

"She won't sleep in this house anymore," she said sternly. "I don't understand why you want to keep her here. You know that she will only play with your feelings."

"I'll make her love me, Mom." His voice was somber. "She returns to me, doesn't she?"

"She wants something from you, James."

"Everybody wants something from me, except you and Papa," he smiled bitterly. "I want something from her too. I want her to love me, Momma. That's not too much, is it?"

Sookie hugged James. She wished she could find words that would soothe him, but she knew, it would only be empty words. She kissed his forehead. "First love is the hardest, James, but also the most beautiful one. Enjoy it while you can, but don't expect too much from it."

Sookie put flowers on Aude's grave before she left for her office. "Help him, Aude," she said. "You know Eric needs you more than before. Heh, I need you more than before. You always had crazy ideas; certainly you would have some too for this case. Or at least give me some of your spirit, will you?" she smiled. "If you're not busy making your own plans from above, of course. I miss you, Aude."

"Take one of your guns with you," said Sam when she entered her car. "You never know when you'll need it."

"Can you come with me?"

"I'd love to, but I have to watch Haru. I don't trust anybody."

"Not even the werewolves?"

"Not even them. You saw their reaction towards him. Besides, I want to keep an eye on James too. You don't want him to be alone with Luna, do you?"

"Thanks, Buddy. You're a real friend."

It felt like old times, as Sookie drove across the woods. She remembered the first day she had been brought here by Adam Smith, Aude's driver. The woods had scared her then, it still did now. She had been so naïve to believe that it would be just like any other cases. It never had crossed her mind that she would be the next Mrs. Northman. She should've guessed it – not the next Mrs. Northman part; but the part that it was just like any other cases. No ordinary client would call in the middle of the night the way Aude Northman had done.

She didn't regret it, however, that she had agreed to take the case. Otherwise, she wouldn't have met Mr. Northman, gone through such a dangerous time in her life and carried his child. As much as she liked the past fifteen years of her 'normal' life, she had missed the time when Eric had been around; the time when vampires hadn't come out of their coffin and the werewolves were just one of fantasy figures in her horror movies. The time when….

Suddenly two figures entered the road. Out of the blue, they were standing in the middle of the road.

Sookie swerved to miss them. The Sound of the squeling tires pierce the stillness of the wood. What the f… she opened the window and saw Al and Chad standing in the middle of the road. "Are you out of your mind?"

One of them came to her. Sookie was never able to differ them, Yes, they looked a bit different, but she always forgot which one was which, "We need to talk, Ms. Sookie. About the number."

"What number?"

"The number that is written on the letter from Compton."

Jesus! She had forgotten that!

"We want to tell you since long time ago, but there was never any chance."

"Why not?"

"Little Brother told us to tell you only when you're alone."

"James did what?"

"It wasn't Little Brother directly, it was his voice in our heads, you know…every time we wanted to do it, his voice was in our heads. In the beginning I thought I was out of my mind, but Al heard the same thing too." So, this was Chad.

James was able to control two werewolves' minds? Was he really that strong?

"Get in," Sookie finally said.

Chad whistled; Al came to the car.

In a hurry, Sookie drove the car back onto the road as soon as they were in the car. Chad sat in the front, Al was in the back.

"I know it might sound strange, Ms. Sookie…," said Al.

"…but we really tried," continued Chad. "We had checked the numbers over and over again."

"I believe you."

"Thank you," said both of them.

"The number was a zip code in New Orleans…"

"Louisiana to be exact…"

"Bon Temps…."

"0234-71356 is an address in Bon Temps. Bon Temps' zip code is 71356, 0234 is a house number. It's registered under…"

"…your name. And 32443-93156 is longitude and latitude coordinates…

"…32,443 and -93,156…."

"Bon Temps…your house."

For the second time, the car stopped immediately. The twins were flung to the front and then thrown back in the seat.

"I told you she would react like this," said Al. "Good that you buckled yourself this time."

Sookie told herself to breathe. Her house…her old house…whatever Bill had given her was there, somewhere in her old house. "You don't tell anybody about it?"

Both of them shook their heads. "We can't. I believe James had put jinx on us," Al grinned. "I like the idea, I have to say, that I was jinxed by a little boy. It makes me more careful."

"You're paranoid," Chad said to his brother then he turned to Sookie. "What is it, anyway, that is hidden in your house, Ma'am? We went there the other day, but we were just standing in front of your house and didn't do anything. We didn't know what we were looking for."

"I don't know either," Sookie said. "Perhaps, I'll know it when I see it." She had to read the book or the letter again. Bill was trying to tell her something, something very important that he didn't want anybody to know. "Boys," she turned around. "Prepare yourself. You're going with me to town. We're going to find out what Mr. Compton wants. And Chad, buckle yourself in real good, Son. I don't want to have problem with your wife…I mean your girlfriend…"

"Yes, Ma'am," Chad smiled. "She's my wife, Ma'am…Al's girlfriend."

Al drew a faint smile.

"You're weird, the two of you, but I think I'm starting to like you."

The twins smiled. "I like you too, Ma'am," said both of them at the same time.

Sookie started the car again. They're weird indeed!

xxxxx


	4. Of Trusts and Sacrifices

**Author's note: **Again, big sorry for the very late update.

- Thanks to BonTempsBeau. Well, Bill, Lima and Llama ... it could be a beginning of a very good relationship. LOL.

Chapter fifty-four

**Of Trusts and Sacrifices  
**

That old house looked the same. Only the paint was cracking here and there. It needed to be renewed. The number 0234, which used to be gleaming under the sun, now, looked dull and deserted. The plants were drooping and yellowish. They needed water, more than that they needed somebody to be there and take care of them.

Gran gave her the house after she had financed half of Jason's new house. It was supposed to be a part of her inheritance if Gran died. Sookie and Jason never really talked about it. Jason never mentioned having any interest whatsoever in the house either. For him it was only normal that she had the house, since he had one of his own.

Bill Compton had something for her hidden somewhere in this house…but what?

"How well do you know Compton, Miss?" asked Chad when they were out of the car.

"Why?"

"It's the only way to follow his way of thinking."

Sookie sighed. Unfortunately, not well enough.

"What did he give you, besides the letter?" asked Chad after a while.

"A book about orchids. I like orchids."

"Anything, something particular in the book?"

"Yes, a poem and he pointed that Moon orchids look like doves." Aude liked doves and puzzles; Sookie smiled at the thought. "So I thought Bill tried to tell me that it wasn't a normal book, but it was a part of a puzzle."

"Do you still remember the poem?"

Sookie opened the door. "Unfortunately, not. Moment….yes, he wrote something like journey, home, love…first flower. His first and the only flower he had ever given me...could it be there's something under the flower pots?"

They went to the back yard and started to turn the pots upside down. The twins worked fast and thoroughly with turning the pots and even dug up the soil beneath the pots. Having photographic memory and the ability of understanding each other without uttering any words must have been quiet handy. They simply had to look at each other, nod or even only a little ripple on their faces had been enough to tell the other what to do.

After some time of digging, throwing, cursing and kicking, the three of them stopped what they were doing and sat down on the floor. Dirt was everywhere; on the floor, on their faces, clothes even under their finger nails. But the damn thing couldn't be found. When Sookie almost gave up, she heard Al said,

"Eureka!"

In his hand was a small broken white box with a picture of orchid on it. His face was brightened with a smile when he gave her the box, saying, "If I meet that son of a bitch, I'll tell him exactly what I feel about this fucking shit. Pardon my language, Ma'am. It had to come out."

Nervously, Sookie opened the box. There was a key inside with small alphabets hanging on it and an envelope. HAG2. She looked at the key. It's a small key with a number on it.

"May I, Ma'am?" asked Chad.

Sookie gave him the key and opened the envelope. As always, Bill's handwriting charmed her. A letter inside was simple.

_Dear Sookie,_

_I opened a deposit account for you. I hope you'll forgive me._

_BC._

Then the name of the bank and the account number.

"What is this for a key?" asked Chad.

"For a deposit box in this bank, I suppose," said Sookie. "Can both of you memorize this number?" she handed over the letter, "and promise me not to tell anyone?"

"Yes, Ma'am," said both of them.

After the twins read the letter, Sookie burned it. She didn't want to take the risk that somebody else might read it.

It was past noon when they left the sun was still high up at the sky, but it didn't radiate the heat so strongly anymore. They put everything back as it was avoid unnecessary questions and curiosity, said the twins. Sookie didn't quite agree with the idea. Nobody would enter her house, why bothered? With a hard look Al said, she would never know. At the time of troubles like this, there's nothing wrong with being careful.

The twins then suggested that she go straight to the bank and take whatever Bill had for her. One problem only, the bank was in Baton Rouge and she didn't want to leave Bon Temps without telling anybody.

"You can go with Chad, Ma'am," said Al. "I'll go straight to your house."

That's not a bad idea.

Al grabbed his brother's hand tightly when he said goodbye. "Try to be careful, will you? You still have a present to buy for the little one. He'll be two years old next week."

"Choose one for me." Chad smiled, but that smile looked bitter in Sookie's eyes.

"He's your son. Be a good father and choose one yourself."

The twins looked at each other. They didn't have to say a word for Sookie to hear clearly what they told each other in their heads and she felt uncomfortable because of it. _I'll see you. _What a way to say goodbye.

Al's figure was getting smaller as the car drove away from him. Chad didn't look back. He didn't even blink. Only when they left Bon Temps, he turned to Sookie and said, "He always acts as if he's the wiser one, you know. He is only three minutes older than me and he always treats me like a child!"

Sookie didn't know what to say. Jason never treated her that way, it's the opposite, she's the one who treated Jason like a child.

"He even let me marry his woman. Everybody knows that he loves her," he sniffed and continued, "everybody except me."

Then, he turned his face away. His jaws moved. Sookie forced herself to concentrate on the road and ignored the sound she was hearing. Some of the words she caught were 'present', 'sick' and 'go home'.

"I should've not married her," suddenly he continued.

"Why did you?"

"It's the only way for them to be together – according to the clan rule," his eyes were yellowish. He sounded angry when he continued, "He should've told me that he loves her, too."

"He loves you more, I suppose."

"I wish he just stopped loving me." Then, he looked at her. "What about you, Miss Sookie?"

"What about me?"

"I don't see any of your pictures in the house. From what I hear, the house looks exactly the same like before, when the Sheriff's wife was still alive. Don't you ever wish he stopped loving his wife and loving you instead?"

Sookie bit her lips. She never expected anybody to ask her the question.

"Does he love you?"

She looked at him. "I believe he does. What about your wife? Does she love you?"

"Yes, she does. She told me many times; she also gives me children." His eyes were blazing. "She loves Al as well, but I always come first...or at least, that's what I believe."

Sookie felt sorry for him. Clearly he didn't like his marital situation. "Why do you continue doing it if you don't like it, Chad?'

Again, his jaw moved. "I have everything I ever dreamed of, what's not to like?"

"Well, a man with two or three women living together...that I heard of. But the other way around...I can't imagine how?"

"It wasn't easy at the beginning, but mostly because I was the one who was jealous with them. I had 4 days and Al had three days in a week to be with her. Al and I slept in separate bed rooms, so nobody would be disturbed. Then, I think it was three weeks after Al moved in, and I couldn't handle my jealousy anymore, I simply barged into Al's bedroom and found them in bed. You know what Al did? He simply got up and wanted to leave the room, giving her to me, even though it was his turn. I was very angry about his reaction. I wanted him to stop sacrificing himself for me, I wanted him to challenge me so that I had reasons to kick him out of my house.

"My wife's reaction was more than enough for me to feel like such a selfish asshole. She looked at me with eyes wide open and snatched her cloths. She wanted to follow Al. That's when I realized that the only way to have her is by sharing her with Al. I stopped them leaving the room, apologized and wanted to leave them when Al stopped me. He didn't have to tell me what he had in mind because we have some kind of connection...you know, we know exactly what the other wants to say...just like that."

Yeah, Sookie knew what he meant. She saw them doing it.

"Since then, we – the three of us – sleep in the same bedroom."

Sookie swallowed her spit. "It's not awkward?"

"The first morning after...we couldn't find a word to each other. Yeah, we slept with the same woman before...but not at the same time...you know, three-some...?"

Sookie wished Chad hadn't mentioned the word! Now she had to answer. "Yeah..."

"But when we saw her face as she went out of the room – tired, red but satisfied – we knew that we did the right thing. She giggled as she prepared the breakfast for us, and when she sat on my laps during the breakfast, I knew, no matter what, she is my wife and it will stay that way." Chad stretched himself and laughed. "Now I can see from where Little Brother has that power. It's from you. You have a power to make people tell the truth. They look at you and they can't help themselves, but tell the truth."

Sookie smiled. Perhaps. Eric had also a convincing power to make people tell him the truth or at least what he wanted to know. "But you're not happy about it, are you?"

"I've learned, Miss. Sookie, in this life, you can't get everything you want. I am satisfied. Life has been good to me. I can't complain. Yeah, I am still angry and jealous from time to time, but hey, who isn't? If the Sheriff has another woman and lives with you, you also will feel the same. I can't say the same thing about the Sheriff, though. He doesn't look like a man who's willing to share."

"And I do?"

"His dead wife is living with you and you do nothing about it." He looked at me. "Am I wrong to say that?"

No, he wasn't.

Then, they were quiet for the rest of the journey.

Sookie didn't know why Chad told her about his sex life, and she never found out the reason. What she knew, since that conversation, she looked at Chad with different eyes. As young as he might be, he had a wise way of seeing his life. No wonder that Colin had chosen him to be one of his lieutenants.

Xxxxx

The Southern View Bank was a small bank at the corner of Florida Street and 3rd Street. The building itself looked old but reserved. The golden color on its corners made it look noble.

When Sookie and Chad entered the bank, a sweet smell of jasmine welcomed them. The employees' uniform was dark red with golden stripe. The ladies wore dark red flowery scarfs and the gentlemen wore dark suits with red ties. For her taste, they looked old fashion, _too old fashion. _It looked like they had existed since the days of the Founding Fathers were still alive, and they didn't seem to be in hurry to modify or change their appearance.

The business in the bank was quite easy. Despite the shocking look in the face of the teller when she saw them – dirt on their hands and clothes, their hair looked like they had been through a wind tunnel – she served them kindly and professionally. She led them to the basement where they stored the deposit boxes.

Inside a brown wooden box with a golden number written on it was a book. A diary book, covered in light brown leather jacket.

Sookie's hands were trembling as she held the book. Bill had given her his diary book. Softly, she touched the jacket. What could he possibly write that was so important that he had to hide it in a deposit box registered under her name?

_The book may not leave the bank, Miss. Sookie, _Chad's voice was loud in clear, but his mouth didn't move. _You have to read it here and return it._

She could read fast, but not that fast. It would take a few hours or more to finish reading the diary. Even then, she wasn't sure if she would remember them all. She looked at Chad. Chad could do that. He had a photographic memory; he would be able to remember every detail.

Sookie shoved the book at him. "You do it," she looked at that young man's eyes. "And swear upon your wife's life that you will never tell about the contents of the book to anybody except me and James."

He stepped backward. "I can't do that." _I have no secret in front of Al. I can't, even if I wanted to._

"Then for your own sake, tell only him."

Chad looked at the book. After a short time, his eyes turned yellowish. Then, he looked at Sookie. "Pray to God, it won't be your worst decision, Miss. Sookie."

No, it wouldn't be. The worst and the best decision in her life was agreeing to handle Aude Northman's divorce and not quitting the case whilst she still could!

Chad took the book and sat down. Soon, he flipped the book. He read it so fast, Sookie couldn't even follow. His words were echoing and mixed. She wondered if he would remember any of the words he saw.

After around an hour, he returned the book. His face was hard. His lips formed a straight line. This man was burning inside, and he tried his best to control it.

"We have to go, Miss. Sookie." He grabbed Sookie's hand. "I can't tell you here; come on, we have to go."

Sookie put the book back in the box and closed it. "Would the book be safe here? Or should I take it with me?"

"Compton chose this bank not for nothing, Miss. Sookie. The bank is guarded by Demons and other beings, whose names are known to us – werewolves – but I never see them with my own eyes. Compton is a crazy paranoid son of a bitch, but he knew what he was doing."

Sookie's eyes were wide opened. There are other beings?

They left the building in a hurry. Sookie felt that they hadn't walked fast enough. She wanted them as soon as possible to be in the car and heading back to Bon Temps. Whatever Bill had written must have been important enough that he stored it in a bank, which was guarded by Demons! And whatever it was, it must have been important enough that made a werewolf like Chad quiet and as Sookie accidentally threw her look upon his hands, she saw those fur covered hands were shaken.

xxxxx


	5. Dogs In Heat

**Author's Note: **I have the image of Vincent Cassel and sometimes Olivier Martinez when I think of Alcide Hervaux. Both of them played werewolf once (Cassel in 'Brotherhood of Wolf (Le pacte des loups), and Martinez in 'Blood and chocolate'). So, my description of Alcide Hervaux might not be fitting to the books or True Blood.

I am thinking about making Chad/Al look like Edward James Olmos (he played werewolf in 'Wolfen'), but I have to read the archive again (archive, ha, ha, who am I fooling?)

Have I told you that I am a werewolf lover? Well, now you know.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five

**Dogs in Heat  
**

Chad didn't say a word on their journey back to Bon Temps. His yellowish eyes moved rapidly; his mouth formed a straight line. His breaths were short, and the hands that were on his lap covered with gray fur.

Sookie tried to listen to his head, but it was useless. The noises that came from his head echoed and were a mix between English and a language she had never heard before. She could only guess that he was speaking in an Indian language.

They couldn't go straight home. Sookie didn't want to. Not like that. The content of the book bothered him, _ a lot. _She didn't know much about Chad, but she knew an angry man when she saw one. She couldn't and didn't want to imagine what he would do, once they were at Northman Mansion. She had too many problems already; she didn't want to add a new one.

Sookie turned the car to Sam's place. Sam would know what to do. He always had good advices for her, or at least, he would listen. She really needed one of them or both.

She felt relieved when she saw the green pick-up truck parked on the yard. Sam was at home. After the fiasco that happened at the Leclreq Wellness Center, she was sure that either Sam or Amelia wouldn't be there.

"Why are we here, Ma'am?"

Chad didn't ask _where, _he asked _why. _He knew where they were. What had the Grey Hounders done? Snuffling and sneaking around before they entered Bon Temps? And he didn't call her 'Miss Sookie'. He addressed her with 'Ma'am' again, as if he wanted to draw some distance between them.

"Can we trust him, Ma'am?"

He even knew who lived there!

Sookie forced herself to smile. "Do you know who lives here? What did you Hounders do before entering a town? Send in a spy or something?"

To Sookie's surprise, Chad looked at her and answered, "Yes, Ma'am. We don't trust outsiders." Then, he continued in his head. _Now, except you and Little Brother, I don't know whom else to trust anymore._

Sookie had a feeling that Chad tried to send her a message; otherwise, he would speak it out loud. "You stay here," she said. "I want to see if he's at home."

Chad nodded.

Sam was at home. Sookie hadn't had to walk too far from the car when the door opened. Behind him was Amelia.

"Any news from Eric?" he asked as she neared.

"It's not about Eric," said Sookie. She turned around and gave Chad a sign to get out of the car. She came closer to him and whispered, "It's about Bill."

"Chad," Sam nodded at Chad, who was now standing beside Sookie. "Are you all right?"

Sookie looked at Chad. His hands were now not only covered by grey fur, but they also had long yellowish finger nails.

"She is a witch," he said, looking at Amelia.

"I am," said Amelia. "You have problems with that?"

"No," Chad sniffed. His eyes were narrowing. Clearly he looked more alerted than he'd already been. "I am a Grey Hounder, do you have problems with that?"

Amelia looked bluffed. She pressed her eyes several times as if she wanted to make sure that she hadn't misheard.

"Chad, this Amelia Broadway," Sookie tried to cool down the air. "Amelia, this is Chad...," suddenly she realized, she didn't know Chad's surname.

"Turner," said Chad, without reaching out his hand.

"We'd better come in," said Sam. "I'll feel better inside when it's dark." He looked at Chad. "Retract your claws, Chad. You're among friends."

Chad's eyes were still yellowish, but the fur on his hands was shorter and his finger nails looked normal again. However, he was still alerted. He was standing beside Sookie and refused of the any drinks Sam had offered.

"So," Sam played the beer bottle in his hands, "something you want to tell me, Sook?"

Sookie wanted to ask if Sam could smell her nervousness or tension, but then she realized it was nonsense. Nobody can smell feelings, human or non human. Perhaps, it was the sweat that she had produced, which she had to admit, she had produced a lot – especially if she was nervous, or perhaps it was her demeanor? Something must have betrayed her feelings and revealed it to Sam without her needing to say anything.

Sookie put the key on the table. "From Bill," she said. Then, she told him about the letter, where she and the twins had found it and the contents of the deposit box.

"And Chad is the only one who read it?"

"Yes," Sookie looked at Chad.

"Can you give us a hint what it is, Chad?" asked Amelia.

"I can't," Chad's eyes glittered. Sookie couldn't really guess what he had in his mind right now. The emotion on his face, the combination between angry and sad, made him look somehow older and beaten. "I promised Mrs. Northman not to tell anybody."

Mrs. Northman...Sookie would never get used to being called that. And why was he distant and formal, all of sudden?

"In other words, if you are dead, nobody will find out the content of the diary," said the witch. "Brilliant! It's just fucking brilliant!"

"Isn't that the idea, you stupid bitch?"

"Chad...," Sam tried to cool down the temperature of the room that suddenly was rising.

But Chad ignored him. "Compton wouldn't hide it away if he wanted everybody to know what he wrote!"

"How can we be certain you are not going to tell anybody?" Amelia's voice was an octave higher.

"Are you questioning my loyalty to my clan and the Northman Family?" The fur which was almost gone, was now sprouting like mushrooms after a rain. His finger nails were slowly getting longer. Sookie swore she heard his bones cracking. Coming from his head like a clear radio signal were words in his Indian language again.

"Stop it, both of you." Sam's voice was calm, but the repressed anger was clear and couldn't be mistaken by any of them. "I know both of you mean well, but it's neither your decision – Amelia, nor yours – Chad. Compton gave the book to Sookie; she's the one who should decide what to do with the book...,"

"But...," Amelia tried to interrupt Sam, but she was quiet when Sam continued, "and we should respect her decision."

Sookie touched the key. The letter HAG2 was gleaming under the lamp. "I trust Chad," she said. "He did it once; he can do it again."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Chad sniffed.

Amelia sat down. She took a deep breath. "You will need a lot of strength to restrain yourself not to tell what you know, Werewolf."

"You don't have to tell me," Chad's jaw moved. "Now that both of you know the existence of the diary...," he looked at Sam and then at Amelia. "...don't make me regret not killing you today."

xxxxx

The sun was low in the west as Sookie entered the Northman grounds. The red color of the sky touched the tip of trees like the color of a little child's cheek after running. The lack of air made the wetness that hanged heavily in the air almost unbearable. She saw some guards who walked around checking every corner sweating and red-faced as they made their rounds.

For the werewolves, it seemed to be worse. Their bodies which were from nature covered by fur and probably like dogs, they don't sweat much or they don't sweat at all, made them unable to cool down by themselves without being helped by water; a lot of water. The wet soil told Sookie that they made the water sprinkler run all the time and they would stand under it.

Alcide was soaking wet when he greeted her. His thin wet khaki shirt was like his second skin following every trained muscle on his body. The straight tight jeans didn't hide his figure at all. They were packed and screaming of masculinity. Any normal hot blooded woman would need a very strong power to restrain herself not to touch any part of it. And Sookie was a normal hot blooded woman...

"Yes, Alcide?" She said carefully and prayed she didn't sound swooning.

"You went to Baton Rouge." It was more an accusation than a question.

"Yes, she went with me." It was Chad who answered. "Al didn't tell you?"

"He did, but I don't like a sudden decision like that. I am still the head of security here. If something happened...,"

"Which didn't," cut in Sookie. She had enough of quarreling for the day.

"I know, but if something happened, Eric wouldn't accept any excuses."

"I am his wife, Al, not his slave. I am free to go wherever and whenever I want."

"You know that I don't...,"

"I know. Sorry...I know that you meant well." She walked to the door. "Is James home?"

"He's in the wood," Alcide added hastily, "alone. He said he needed time to think. But Cooper and Prescott went after him."

Well, at least something went on as the way she wanted it.

"I need to talk to you," Alcide cleared his throat. "...in private?"

Chad took it as a sign for him to leave. After uttering some unclear sentences about looking for his brother and being hungry, he left.

"It's about Haru," Alcide's voice was low, so low that Sookie had to move closer to him. His cologne mixed with his body odor making it difficult for her to think. Due to their height difference, her face was exactly at the height of his chest... a broad square chest covered with black hair, which shamelessly lurked from under his shirt.

"Some of my men told me that he has been asking around about their condition during the full moon. He even asks if they are willing to give him their blood now, and again, a day before the full moon and the day after."

"Why does he do that?"

"He's talking about making a blood map for werewolves. He wants to find a way to control our aggression factor or at least to find out the things that causes us being aggressive."

"I never see you being aggressive."

"You're never around me during the full moon." His face looked hard. "Some of us can't remember what we did during the full moon, and we have to deal with the facts that we might have killed somebody or turned somebody into a werewolf. It's not a nice feeling, I can tell you, to be out of control and do not remember afterward what we had done." He sighed.

"So, you agree."

"It's up to them, Sookie. They're members of a clan, but it's still a free country."

"What about you? Did you give him your blood?"

"I am a son of a pack leader and come from a long line of pure blood. I have to consult the matter with my father and the clan's council. Were I free, I would do it."

Sookie touched his hand. His voice sounded sad. It must be hard to be a man like him.

_Don't... Sookie... _He pulled his hand softly. _I am in heat..._

For a moment, she didn't know what Alcide meant, until she remembered an expression _dog in heat, _it's when female dogs are in their menstruation time and ready to copulate. In other words, Alcide was having a hard-on...

She turned her face away, feeling hot. She cleared her throat and forced herself to act as normal as possible when she said. "I'll be in my room, just in case James asks."

Almost running, Sookie went inside the house. Their closeness, the smell, the heat... she couldn't take it. One wrong move, one wrong word...she's afraid, she would do something that she would regret.

She opened the door to her old room. She didn't want to go to Aude's room. Eric had a very good sense of smell; he would catch Alcide's smell and he wouldn't like what he smelt. They were facing enough problems already; she didn't want to add it.

She threw her bag on the bed and was about to take off her shoes, when the door was knocked. She went to the door and opened it. Alcide was standing there with eyes blazing like fire. Before she could say anything, Alcide went in, closed the door and took her into his arms.

Sookie moved backward only to find the wall touching her back.

Alcide cupped her face. Then, he kissed her. His kiss was strong and desperate, sucking her last will of defense, asking her to surrender. She gasped as she felt how hot his touch on her hips. It was as if he was burning. And her voice was like a sign of permission for him to do more, to kiss her on the neck and as his hands were starting to open her blouse...

"Mom... are you in there?"

James' voice broke them apart.

"Send him away," Alcide's voice was hoarse. "Please... we don't have so much time...,"

"Mom...?"

"Yes, James?" Sookie put her hand on her chest, trying to control her own breath, which seemed to be running wild.

"I just want to ask you...,"

"Can you do it a little bit later, Sweetheart? I am tired. Is it important?"

"Well...sort of, but...,"

"Give me ten or fifteen minutes to rest, Hon. Okay?"

"Well, all right. I'll be in the swimming pool."

Then Sookie heard him moving away. Sookie took the time to master her breath. _That was stupid. _She thought to herself.

Alcide came closer and about to continue what he had done, but Sookie moved away. "Sookie...," he reached out his hand.

Existing between them were only some steps, which would get less if either of them move toward each other, but the magic was gone. She couldn't do it anymore. Perhaps it was because of the coolness in the room that helped her calm down and reduced the strength of Alcide's body odor, or maybe it was she herself who realized that she had done something terribly wrong. It wasn't Eric, whom she was thinking of, but it was Alcide. She didn't want to give him much hope that something would happen or continue after the kissing. It was a temporary moment of lack of control. It was like betraying a friend.

Alcide moved backward. "Don't lie to yourself, Sookie." He stood there, with his hands on his hips. "You want it as much as I do. If you ever change your mind; you know where to find me." He opened the door and left.

Sookie sat on the bed. God! What has she done?

xxxxx


End file.
